Optical speedometer



- April 1.o, 1928.

' 1,665,278 G. RAMSEY oPTrcAL SPEEDOMETER Filed Ausf* 25. 1922 Z5 3055 40 4550 55606670 75 l l l l i l i speed is not up to Patented Apr. 1o, 192s.

Unire* sfr@ rosafm GEORGE Remission Br'tooirrrn,A ivnw Yeni: l I

. OPTICAI.. SPEE'DOMETER. l

n'ppneaaon nea august 23,1922. l serial no. 5835764.

The principal object'of the present inven-v tion is to indicate speedv of rotation by cans-- ing one color to be blended intovfa-nother and different. color. l c l VInmyY lPatent 1,532,548 grantedApril 7 1925', is disclosed and claimed a speedometer ldepending upon persistency of vision to cause blended colors to lindicate speed, and in that disclosure all of the colors are V'arranged upon a rotating member. Y

The present invention is an improvement on my prior invention and provides aconstruction in which the color blend causes La change in colorof -a character or number indicating the speed for which the device is calibrated and at which speed the instrument is being operated; for example, where red 'and greenv complemental colors are usedvin the present invention and the speedometer is ,properly calibrated and driven at a speed corresponding, foreXa-inple, to the fortymiles-vpenhour calibration,l the' character 40 may be in color on a white background. The presen-t 'invention further contemplates "a construction whereinv colors are blended by providing one color, progres. sively arranged as to color, mass, or' amount, on a moving member andanother color "on a stationary member which 'may' be viewed through windows in the movingV member.

Under `these conditions where an exec'essive speed over Vthe persister-icy ofthe eye occurs thestationary color may appear to predominate whereas over that part. wherein the persistency of vision the predominate.

moving color may appear to with For; example,4 if the rotatingr member ,the Windows therein is colored green, and a stationary member or' complemental red color is arranged beneath the moving-member to be viewed through the windows of moving member which has been calibrated as to a scale, and isnow driven at a speed corresponding to forty-milespelr-hour on the calibration, the Zone adjacent the 40'on the said scale will turn white. of the scale below 40 will probably be of a tint so that the critical speed may clearly stand yout between the opposing tint colors.

In view of the above it may -be st-ated. that All the .portion r Figure l i the-.facefplateillustrating 'another embodis further objects of the invention yare as :Eol-

lowsf: l Y f 1 l I c Another and urther'object ofthe present invention is to A provide an, optieal speedjometer whereincriticalr speeds may be read directly on :a suitable sca-le lby vision-al color blends of therscale.

Another and further object of thepresent invention isv an optical speedometer o thev character specied'in which a ,portionvoithe colors to be blended is carried on a rotating member provided with windows and another portion of thel saidcolorsis carriedxon'a` stationary member vadapted to be viewed through said windows vinfthemovin'g'g men-P ber.

lAlstillfurther vobject of the present in ventron` is an optical speedometer of the character' speciied-in which -onef V,me-mber carriesl portion of the colors to be blended and another member lcar/ries the remaining Y portions to be blended withmefan's arranged in suc-h vman-ner as to y,provid-e a :relative movement between the members.

Other and further objects 1of the present linvention will in part rbe obvious and will in "part be pointed out hereinafter by refer ence to fthe 'accomp anying drawings forming a partI of this specification andthroughout` which like'characfters `are used to represent l like parts. f

It is realized that. thel present` inventionl may be embodied in constructions other than those herein specifi-callydisclosed so there'- A fore-the 'disclosure herewithis `to Vbe under? ystood as being illustra-tive and not -in the limiting sense. l

Figure 1 -is a lan view of vthe acjeofthe speedorrre-terv made i'n accordance with the. present invention; n

Figure 2 isa sectional view through.. a

speedometer .in accordance 'with'Figure l;

Figure 3 isa sectional View 4taken atright angles to the view shown Figure 2;' -f f Figure 4 isarv-i-ew showing'one formzof rotating vmember constructed fas 4va 'drumg l Y Figure 5 illustrates one type ots-cale bar with scalemembers directly 'on 'the baril;

Figure 6 is aperspective view of theiscale vbar showing indicators thereon otherfthan redish tint vwhereas the portion of the scale'v i abovev .40 will probably be of a greenish members; .l c 'Y 7 is a View lof a detail portionnoff mentb the present invention.

VReferring now vtothe drawings,the present y invention may be embodied ina construction comprising a casing l which carries .a cover ring 2 which retains a cover glass 4 in position on the casing over a dial plate 5. The

Ydial plate 5 is provided with suitable openings 6 and 7 through-'which readings may be taken. A drum 8 orthe like, may be mountl ed upon a suitable shaft 9 in such manner that one end ofthe drum is open. This shaft 9 runs in suitable bearings 10,v and 1'1 which may be provided in bosses 12 in the casing 1. A `bar-14 extends into the drum yfrom thel open end thereof and is retained in l,position by asuitable anchor member 15. The drum 8 may bel Vofnon-transparent vniaterial and be provided with portions 16 that' are colored Va convenient color, for example,

atint of violet green, .and the drum may be cut away'as at 17 'to provide open'spaces or windows; or the drum may be formed of transparent material such as Celluloid, glass,

- -or other transparent material, with the color bands 16 arrangedthereon and with the 'wind0ws'1`7 beingV clear transparent spaces provided for sight passages. The color bands onV thedrum are arranged with progressivelly T e increasinglengths of spots of color. progression is an arithmetical progression.

f The bar 14 may be convenientlyV arranged in such manner asto view through theopening 6 'in the kdial plate 5 in such manner that when the windows 17 pass beneath the open- :inglthe color of the bargmayA be observed through the windows, assuming the drinn `to V.be turned at very slow speed. Characters or numbers 18 maybe arranged on the bar beneath the color bands and if the drumis Vcolored violet-green then the bar; may be colored a yellow-red. If the numbers or -characterslS on such a bar are white, thenl when the: drum is rotated at such a speed as to Vcause alternate flashes of complemental colors on Va particularband or zone to pass a Y point of vision at arate greater than visional persistency the yellow-red on the bar and ,A the violet-green on thedrum willzblend and ptoV willappearV white. .Howeveig there is. VnoV complemental colorA `to Y blend with 1 the Vwhite number or character, consequently the number for the critical speed band will appear green on the whitebackground, thereby selectively indicating Y, the @ritmi- Speed 'of the drum;

It would appear that for thenumbers belowv this critical speed-number the persist- Vency of vision of the coloronthe stationary bar would be greater than that ofthe color on the rotating member vconsequently f theifbackground for such numbersgwould seem to appear as a blendY in which red predominates.. AS1-'to thej.numbers above the i Y criticalspeed -zone orbandit would appear that the rotating color would, predominate and that the background Vfor such numbers would appear as a blend of greenor muddy the critical the number indicating grey in which green predominates. Y It will therefore appear that the speedometer in vaccordance wit-h the present invention may Vbe constructed in accordance with the detail view shown in Figurey 7 in which the 4:0

mile zone appears as white, showing the instrument as indicating a speed of ,40 milesiper-hour7 whereas the lower speed zones will probably show as a blend of red, while the higher speed zones above thef40 miles will probably Vshow as a blend of green; speed being the one-.distinct white zone.

usually desirable to provide a measuring deviceor odometer. To this end, the drum 8 In connection with the speedometer it is f Y may be provided with yanV actuating `pin19 which drives the odometer wheels 2O lwhich Y may be mounted upon a suitable reset shaft 21 as is common in the art.

From the foregoing it will appear that the present invention comprises more especially j an optical speedometer in which a blend O l colors indicates the critical speed and furthermore-causes a change Vinycolor for this zone in such manner as to clearly'select the portion of the scale corresponding to the speed being registered; Inf'the above description, color blends have been referred to which produce white, however, it is to beY understood that anyidesired tint of color` may .Y

beused to produce any other distinctive color blend as well as white. It is also to be understood that the drive shaft 9 ot the speedl' onieter is adapted to be connected with suitable driving means, such as the road wheels lor power plant of an automobile in the manner well known in the art, or with any other .driving membersuch asia rotating body or shaft the speed of which is tobe observed.

.Having thus described my inventiomwhat Iclaimisif Y l. A speedindicator comprising arotating member provided with alternatefspots of colorand windows, and a second ymember lic i of different color adapted to vbe seen through' said windowswhen the rotating ymember is rotated in suoli manner that a predetermined color blend is seen when said rotatingfmemf v 115 ber has reached acertain speed of rotation. 2.V A speed indicator comprising a rotating member vprovided with alternate spots ot member is rotated in such manner that a predetermined color blend is seen when said rotating member has reached a certainV speed of rotation.

4. A speedometer comprising a rotating member provided with alternate lspots Vof .color and windows, a stationary member-of I through said windows when the rotating member is rotated. v

6. A speedometer comprising a rotating member of a uniform` Color and provided n with bands of windows7 said windowsbeing arranged in such vmanner that for a constant rotating speed the number of windows in a band passinga visional point is in arithmetic progression to the .number of windows passing in another band, and a second mem'- ber of a different color adapted to be seen through said windows when the rotating member is rotated. 1

7. A speedometer comprising la rotating member of a uniform color and provided with bands of windows, said windows being arranged in such mannerfthat for a constant rotating speed the number of windows in a band passing a visional point is in arithmetio progression to the number of windows passing in anotherband, a second member of a complemental color adapted to be seen through said windows when the rotating member is rotated, and characters of contrasting color value on said secondv member.

8. A speedometereomprising a-druml of A uniform color provided vwith windows of.

arithmetically progression lengths arranged in bands, with the windows in a single 'band all of uniform length and the colored portions between windows of a single band vbeing substantially the same lengthl as the windows of the same band,y and a member of different color adaptedy to be viewed from said windows to provided blends of colors 'when the drum is rotated. f

9. A speedometer comprising a drum. of

Y uniform color provided withl windows of arithmetically progression lengths arranged in bands, with the windows in a single band all of uniform length and the coloredjpore tions between windows of a single b and being substantially the same length 'as the windows ofthe same band,l and a member of different color adapted to be viewed from said windows to provide blends of colors when the drum is rotated, a series of sym# bols on said member and adapted to. assume al different color when the drum is rotated.

' 10. A speedometer comprising a drum of uniform color provided with windows of arithmetically f progression lengths arranged in bands, and a shaft for said drum and 'a member of ldifferent color adapted to' be f viewed from said windows to. provide blends of colors when the drum is rotated.

' 11. A speedometer comprising a rotating member of'a violet-green color7 said memberl being provided with windows of pro gressive lengths arranged in bands with the windows Vin each band vbeing substantially the same length, wh'erebythe windows and.

color portions alternate and an orange-red bar arranged relatively to said member to.

be viewed through the said windows vwhen the member is rotated.

12. A device for indicating at least one 'speed comprising arotating member of a violet-green color. said member being provided with at least one circumferentially aligned series of windows of equal circumferential dimensions, and an-orange-red bar arranged relatively to said member to be viewed through the said windows when the member is rotated.

13.1A speedometer comprisinga rotating member of a violetgreen color, said member being provided with windows of progres-I sive lengths arranged in bands w-ith the windows in each band beingy substantially the same length, an orange-red bar arrangedl relatively to said member to be viewed through the saidwindows ywhen the memberV is rotated and characters in white on saidrv orange-redbar. n l p 14.V A speedometer `comprising a `rotating member of a violet-green color, said member being provided with windows of progressive l;

lengths arranged inbands -with'the windowsr in each band being substantially` the sameA length, an orange-red bar arrangedwrelaf' tively to said :member to be viewed through the saidV windows when the member-is `ro-V tated and characters in whiteon said orange-v red bar, there beingone character for each band of'windows. .y y 15. A speedometer comprising a vrotating member provided with windows ofv equal n predetermined length in the direction of rotation of said member and `spots of color of the same length as said window, and a second member of dierent color adaptedy to be seen through said windows when said4 t rotating member is rotated.

GEORGE' nAMsEY. i 

